The Neighbors
by Taylor Ruggiero
Summary: When the old cursed McCarthy house was sold, Arnold Marks was shocked. Who would live in such a house? Well the British O'Connor family, of course. What's so weird about the family? Arnold is keen to find out. Remember there is more than meets the eye.


"Someone finally took the old McCarthy's house, Tom."

A man with a long grizzly beard burped loudly before replying, "About time. I was startin' to think the damned house was cursed. You know what I mean, Ed?"

Ed took a quick sip of his beer before rolling his eyes, "Don't tell me you believe in that kind of crap."

"How can you not? Cornerstone Valley does have it's reputation for spooky happenings."

Ed removed his trucker's cap and gently rubbed his shiny bald head, "Bull. A person probably just made up all those stories to get a rise out of people."

Tom laughed heartedly and shot his friend a glance, "If you say so Ed. If you say so...."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"NO ARNOLD! PUT IT IN DRIVE!"

Which way is drive?! I'm only sixteen! Why is my father giving me a driving lesson? Out of stress, I stomped down on the pedal quickly and speeded right towards a tree.

Dad shouted, "Stop the car, stop the car!" He reached over hastily trying to get a grip on the spinning out of control steering wheel. However, there was no stopping me now. Once I panic, I usually cause some serious destruction.

The oak tree grew rapidly closer, I closed my eyes. Goodbye life. Not that we'll both die from this freak accident, more like Dad flipping out and grounding me for the rest of my life. It will hurt my chances of ever getting with the most popular girl in school, Monica Steel.

BOOM!

Dad's new blue striker mustang has met it's match. Beside me I heard the heavy breathing of my shocked father. Wait for it....wait for it!

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die. Instead I went with overused phrase, "I don't know!"

Dad kicked open the now dented door and examined the damage. From the sound of his groaning and cursing, it looks like the tree won the fight. I decided smacking my forehead to the steering wheel is appropriate right now.

Suddenly, the cheery and bouncy image of my little sister appeared by my side of the car.

"Ohhhhhhh! What did you doooo?"

She knows what I did. Little Liana just wants to rub it in. Dad finally returned back to the car, his face flushed with pure anger.

He quietly stated, "In the house. Now."

Little Liana giggled with excitement and started to skip towards the house, "Arnold's in trouble! Arnold's in trouble!"

Once I get my internet privileges back, I'll post this embarrassing moment on . Do you think I deserved it?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After having Dad scream at me for hours, Mom suggested I had enough and should send me to bed without dinner. I silently thanked her as I scurried up the stairs. Yes, my father scares me.

Closing my bedroom slightly, I flopped onto my unmade bed and sighed. I'm grounded for five months. I actually thought my parents would lengthen my sentence for about hm I don't know.... three hundred sixty days!

I mumbled, "I won't be trusted with another car again...."

"You'll become a hobo!" A small voice added in. Hey! Where did that come from? I looked wildly about, knowing exactly who would invade my privacy like this.

"Liana, where are you?"

Little Liana giggled and whispered from god knows where, "I'm hiding!..."

"Well no sh---pancakes." I stuttered. Mom doesn't allow me to use such foul language around Liana. God forbid she could pick it up and accidently say it to her teacher, who ironically is a nun.

I decided blackmail is the best to handle this situation, "If you don't come out, I'll tell Mom you're the one who ate all the cookies on the tray before dinner! Not that Timmy Willkins across the street!"

My closet door burst open, Liana came running out in her pink tutu, "Don't tell Mom!"

I smirked, "Go and play barbie somewhere kid."

Liana didn't respond, instead she jumped on my bed, messing it up even more.

"Someone moved next door!"

What? Yeah right. No one has lived in that house since the McCarthy's left. Word around town that a curse was placed on the building. More like no one wanting to live in a creaky and bad pumping house.

I shook my head disapprovingly, "Lying isn't nice Liana."

My little sister pouted and whined, "I'm not lying! I saw a big blue truck pull into the driving way and people came out!"

Liana hasn't learned to just give up yet. Deciding to prove her wrong, I shot up and advanced towards the window, "No one is moving in next door, see--."

Pushing my red lightning bolt curtains, I winced when the painful sunlight peaked it's way in. After my eyes adjusted, I turned back to Liana who was kicking her legs in the air.

"I repeat, NO ONE is moving into the McCarthy house."

Liana hopped off my bed and dashed towards me, "Look look look!" Why was she begging me to see something that obviously isn't there? I sighed and glanced at the house next to mine. Noth-WAIT. I did a double take when I saw a man, probably in his twenties slowly painting the grey picket fence.

In the driveway, was indeed a big blue truck.

Liana stated smugly, "TOLD YOU!" With that, she scrambled out of the room, not before knocking over my lava lamp of course. I cursed, my mind wiping clean of the new neighbors and attended to my now broken green lava lamp.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next afternoon, Mom came in to inform me that I'm allowed to eat with the family tonight. My excitement cannot be defined. For the rest of the day, I watched the time change minute after minute, until it was seven o'clock on the dot.

Mom's voice floated from downstairs, "Arnold! Dinner!"

I bet you Dad will be glaring at me the whole time. As if he was trying to choke me with his mind. Dad's from the military, maybe they teach soldiers how to do that kinda thing down at the base.

I took each step slowly, wanting to savor the last moments of my personal time. My parents will probably load me with chores to do around the house, as a part of my punishment. Sweet smells of roasted chicken and mashed potatoes filled my nostrils when I entered the dining room. Dad was in his usual spot, the head table, while Mom was on the other. Liana was under the table pretending to be a dog. They let her get away with everything.

I quietly slid into my seat and grabbed a bowl of mashed potatoes. Might as well suffer with good food in my taste buds. The only sounds that were made during dinner were Liana's little barks and growls. Twice she bit my ankle, I fought the urge to kick her. Mom would probably have a fit.

Dad stabbed his fork into a piece of roasted chicken roughly, "About your punishment..."

Here we go.

I was suspecting him to say that I was to sweep his gun store until I made enough money to buy a new car, however before anything else came out of his mouth, the door bell rang. Maybe life doesn't hate me completely.

Dad dropped his napkin on the table before getting up, "I wonder who that is..."

I sighed in relief when Dad left the room, leaving Mom and a barking Liana.

Mom asked, "Why don't you come up here and ate normally Liana?"

"Ruff ruff ruff!"

Mom immedaitely gave in, "Oh well, alright dear."

Spoiled brat.

"Carol, Arnold, Liana... our new neighbors came to visit." Dad appeared at the door frame, obviously startled by their upfrontness.

Mom clapped her hands excitedly, "Lead them in! Lead them in!"

I shot my Mom a glance before whispering, "Mom..we don't even know these people."

"Oh hush! They can have dinner with us! There's plenty of food to go around."

Down below, Liana growled loudly as our new neighbors made their appearance. Let's just say, they're not what I expected. Before us, was a family. A man with thick rimmed glasses and brown hair smiled at us as a woman with curly blonde hair greeted,

"Hello, we just moved next door and thought it would be proper to personally introduce ourselves." Ah, British folk I see. That's when I noticed twin girls, both having their blonde hair in pigtails and wearing the same exact dresses. They offered their 'hellos' and curtsied.

Dad coughed and gestured towards the table, "Sit down, sit down."

The twin girls walked over and sat beside me. I couldn't help but stare at their big blue eyes. The mother sat besides my Mom. Well of course, Moms can always relate to each other. The father sat across from me, his gaze making me squirm uncomfortably.

Dad glared at me for a second then returned his attention to the newcomers, "Why don't we all introduce ourselves family?"

Mom smiled, "Well, I'm Carol. This is my husband John." She gestured towards Dad before glancing at me, "This is my eldest child, Arnold, and---."

Liana dashed from under the table, startling the twin girls.

"...And that is our youngest Liana..." Mom sighed in embarrassment.

The mother of the twins cooed gently, "She's such a sweetie!" Wait till you get to know her. Mister thick rimmed glasses decided to speak next,

"I'm Ryan O'Connor." Hm...O'Connor....doesn't sound very British.

He continued on, "This is my wife, Leah. Lastly my two beautiful daughters, Caitlina and Joann."

Caitlina and Joann stated at the same exact time, "Nice to meet you all." Okay, that was kinda creepy. Liana finally decided to join us at the table. She grinned widely, "New playmates!"

The whole table, expect for me erupted in laughter. Really, it's not that funny. At all. Suddenly, the attention was brought to me. Mr. O'Connor and Mrs. O'Connor stared at me intensely as if I was a piece of meat.

"How old are you son?" Mr. O'Connor asked.

I replied casually, "I'm sixteen..."

Mrs. O'Connor smiled, "Oh how wonderful! Sixteen is just a good age."

"Um...sure."

As the dinner continued on, the more uncomfortable it got for me. The vibe of the O'Connor family gave me the creeps. Their stares and smiles didn't help either. It was like they knew something that we didn't.

Mrs. O'Connor glanced at her wristwatch and exclaimed, "Look at the time! We must be going to put Caitlina and Joann in bed. It was a pleasure meeting you all..." She put emphasis on the word pleasure.

Mr. O'Connor agreed with his wife, "Indeed, maybe next time we can have YOU for dinner." For some reason, I don't think he meant actually inviting us to their house for a nice chat and some tea.

Mother being mother didn't notice the creepiness of the O'Connors, "Oh that would be lovely!"

Dad nodded, seeing as he was enjoyed his conversation with Mr. O'Connor about the Seventy Sixers. I hate them. But I'm too afraid to admit it.

Caitlina and Joann hopped off the dinner chairs and looked up at their parents, "Can Liana come over to play tomorrow?"

Mrs. O'Connor smiled down at her daughters as if they were the most precious things in the world, "Why don't you ask Liana's parents?"

Caitlina bounced over to my Mom and placed her slender fingers on her elbow, "Can she?" Her eyes are slightly bigger, begging.

Mom couldn't resist, "Oh course. Liana will be there around twelve okay?"

Caitlina and Joann squealed with joy as Liana did a little dance in her seat. Joann said to no one in particular, "We can play with our easy bake oven."

Mr. O'Connor patted the twins on the head and turned to go, "See you then!"

Dad hissed towards me, "Follow them out!"

Why does it have to be me? I sighed quietly and followed the new neighbors to the front door. The twins went out first, dancing about. Mrs. O'Connor went next, not before shooting me a smile, of course. Mr. O'Connor was last. He was standing before me, a grin on his face. He took my hand, starting to shake it as he said,

"It was nice meeting you Arnold." I noticed his hand started to tremble slightly when he took in my appearance. Mr. O'Connor licked his lips but recovered, "I think we'll be seeing each other very soon....Goodbye Arnold."

Before he closed the door, I saw Mr. O'Connor's eyes flash a yellowish red color. Um. I think 'what the hell' is necessary here.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I came back into the dining room to find Mom cleaning up while Dad was laying across the couch, watching sports. That's all he ever does. Liana was nowhere in sight. Probably doing what little dog girls do best, making mud pies.

I handed Mom my dirty plate, "I don't like the O'Connors."

Mom didn't turn around, "Why not? They seem like nice people."

"Yeah, maybe a little TOO nice. The whole family is creepy nice."

Mom just waved me away, "You just don't know how nice people act. We don't have a lot of proper folk around here."

I started to wipe off the table as Mom put the leftovers in the fridge, "Back at the front door.... Mr. O'Connor's eyes...."

"What about his eyes?"

I rolled my eyes when she interrupted me, "Once minute they were brown....the second they were a yellowish red color."

Mom sighed and stared at me sternly, "Take your head out of the clouds Arnold!"

I defended myself, "I'm not lying! His eyes were ones of a monster!"

Dad must have been listening in on the conversation for he snapped, "Stop reading those little comic books of yours boy. Gives you nothin' but trouble."

"Fine...fine. Forget it." I mumbled. I knew they wouldn't believe me. Nothing else happened until the next morning...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Liana burst into my room wearing a ton of makeup, "I'm going to Caitlina and Joann's house!"

I smirked slightly, "I know. I was there when they asked."

Liana ignored me, blabbing about how much fun they're going to have. She pulled out Mom's powder box and starting damping more on her face. I groaned when she spilled half the box onto my bed.

Little Liana giggled, "Opps!" She's not sorry.

A few moments of silence went by, I watched my little sister become even more 'pretty'. My brain was nagging me about the encounter with the O'Connors. What if it WAS just a figment of my imagination? It could have been the lighting that made his eyes flash that color. Or maybe...it was real. Then something incredibly strange is going on with that British family.

I decided to ask Liana if she noticed anything weird, "Hey, Liana. Do you like the O'Connor family?"

She spun around, lipstick all over her face, "Yup! They're nice!"

"Have you noticed anything....strange or funny about them?"

Liana nodded fiercely which caught me by surprise. "What did you see?"

"Caitlina and Joann's eyes kept flashing yellow!" She did her best to explain.

I gasped in shock. She seen it too! The whole family is a bunch of freaks. Question is...are they dangerous? I grabbed Liana's shoulders and shook her.

I used my adult voice, "Listen to me Liana. Do not tell ANYONE what you seen okay?"

Liana squirmed in my grasp, so I shook her again. She pouted and nodded, "I won't tell!"

I let her go and watched her tumble out of my room. She's going to play at their house at twelve. If the O'Connors are some kind of freak show, I'm going to make sure my little sister is safe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Liana squealed with eagerness, "It's twelve! It's twelve!"

Mom winced slightly at the pitch of her voice, "Arnold, take your sister to the creepy O'Connors!" Okay, now she's just making fun of me.

I nodded, pretending not to be bothered, "Alright Mom." I took Little Liana's hand and we both journeyed next door. Before we reached the front door, I stopped,

"Liana, if anything out of the ordinary happens in that house--" I pointed to the freshly painted house, "...tell me."

Liana nodded and skipped up the stone steps. She was about to ring the doorbell, however the front door swung open. It was like they were watching us from inside. Mrs. O'Connor stepped out in a house wife apron.

"Welcome Liana!"

She guided my sister gently in. I glared bullets into her back as the door slammed shut. They didn't even acknowledge my presence. Good. Now I can sneak around and see what exactly the O'Connor family is all about.

I kneeled behind the huge bushes in front of their house and stared. The porch light burst to life as shadows inside started to move. The upstairs window was open, childish laughter floated out into the air.

Okay, now it's time to make my move. Quiet as a mouse, I crawled closer to the house. So close that I could see right through the living room window. Inside, Mr. O'Connor was reading the newspaper while Mrs. O'Connor was making pie in the kitchen. They seem normal so far...

Upstairs I heard Liana shout with excitement, "This easy bake oven is so cool!"

I returned my attention back to the parents. What I saw, scared me shitless. There was Mr. O'Connor dragging a body from the basement, blood stained the white carpet. Mrs. O'Connor smiled and smacked her lips hungrily. She took off the top of the pie, waiting for her husband to arrive into the kitchen.

What the hell is going on here! They're murderers! And my little sister is IN that house! When Mr. O'Connor and Mrs. O'Connor were busy carving out the guts from the victim, I opened the front door and sneaked in. I tip toed into the closet near by and watched in disgust.

Mrs. O'Connor gushed, "Mr. Phillips is going to make such a delicious meal!"

Her husband nodded in agreement, "Yes...you know who else will be smashing? The family next door....what was their last name dear?"

They both finished stuffing the pie, Mrs. O'Connor sealed the top, "I don't think we caught it. But who cares? They're going to be dead soon anyway."

Mr. O'Connor's eyes flashed yellow, "Oh yes.... first starting with that little Miss upstairs!"

Not Liana! Our last name is Marks for the record! The two monsters in the kitchen hummed loudly when the bloody pie was finally done. Mr. O'Connor smiled as he took his thick rimmed glasses off. Suddenly, his eyes completely transformed into huge orbs of yellow. His mouth got really wide, razor point teeth grew out at a rapid pace. The same happened to Mrs. O'Connor. Soon, they didn't even look human.

I looked away as they started to attack the gut full pie. They're not only murderers, they're monsters! The sound of sharp nails scratching against the kitchen table made me flinch. I need to get Liana out of here. Creaking open the closet door, I dashed up the stairs.

I guess Caitlina and Joann's room was on the left for I heard the familiar laughter of Liana within it. I swung the door open, not even bothering to knock. The twins must be monsters too if their parents are. I screamed in utter fear as I saw Caitlina and Joann pinning Liana against the floor, the easy bake oven open. Beside the window was a tape recorder, it's wheels were spinning madly. It was a trap! Which means they were-----

Before I had time to finish my train of thoughts, the bedroom door slammed shut. There stood Mr. O'Connor in his human form.

"Arnold...how...nice of you to join us..."

Liana screamed through the duct tape that was covering her mouth. Caitlina and Joann's eyes started to slowly turn yellow as they edged my little sister into the oven.

I shouted fearfully, "LET HER GO!"

Mr. O'Connor titled his head to the side, "Why ever for? Your young sibling will make such a good snack..."

I clenched my fists into tight balls, "What the hell are you? Some kind of creature out of a horror movie?! I SAID let go of my sister!"

Mr. O'Connor tutted and paced around me mockingly, "I won't have back talk in my household Mister Marks..."

"Wait--wh-wha-what? You can read minds?"

Mr. O'Connor rolled his eyes, "Of course we can. My species are meant to rule over humanity. We ARE GOD!"

Caitlina and Joann giggled evilly and stopped dragging Little Liana to the easy bake oven. I sighed in relief. Suddenly, I felt someone hit a brick over my head. Before blackness surrounded me, I saw the face of Mrs. O'Connor, her eyes gleaming with malice. And then, nothing more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I lifted my head slightly, groaning when it felt like my head was being hammered by one of Santa's helpers. My clothes were torn and damp. Where am I? Despite my body's protest, I got up and examined the scenery. Four grey walls kept my prisoner. I know where I am now! I'm in the basement! My thoughts flashed to Liana, where is she?! Did they kill her when I was knocked out?

I yelled at the top of my lungs, "LIANA!!!!!!!!!!"

A mumbled scream returned my desperate cry. I jumped. The scream sounded close... I yelled again, moving about the basement, "LIANA!"

Another scream filled my ears. It's coming from the wall! Those bastards sealed my sister in the wall! Taking the closet thing to me, which happened to be a jack hammer, I turned it on and collided with the dirty grey wall. Huge bricks bounced to life and threatened to hit me in the face, however, I ignored it. My quest is to get the hell out of here with my sister---alive.

Finally, I saw Liana's battered face appear from the darkness. She was tied, her face was tainted with tears and messed up makeup.

Liana cried out, "Arnold!"

I smiled slightly as I took her out of the wall, embracing her, "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

Liana shook her head no, "They were gonna throw me in the oven downstairs, but then they decided to throw us both in later."

Oh how nice of them. I glanced at the basement door, "Did they lock it?"

Liana was choked up on tears, "Y-yeah."

I cursed silently and scooped Liana into my arms. There has to be some other way of escape. My eyes searched the lantern lit room alertly. Liana gasped and pointed to the other side of the basement, "I think there's a window there!"

For once in my life, I took my little sister's suggestion. Dashing over, we both pushed away boxes and paintings, only to find that Little Liana was indeed right. A small window was before us, unopened.

I whispered, "Thank you lord..."

Opening the window, I pushed Liana out first then myself. We crawled on our knees, afraid that the O'Connors would sense our presence outside.

"What are we going to do?"

I hushed her, "Don't speak, don't think. They can figure out where we are that way."

Liana gulped and nodded. Her whole body trembled with fear. This is going to take a lot of therapy to get Little Liana over this traumatic experience. I racked my brain for ideas. Run home and tell our parents? No, they wouldn't believe us. Go to the police? Of course not. They'll just call our parents and we'll get in trouble. Suddenly, the front door open, making Liana gasp. Quick as lightning, I covered her mouth and stared as Mr. O'Connor came outside with a bucket of gasoline in one hand.

"I don't think we'll need the rest of this gas dear. The Marks children will burn easily..."

I almost puked in my mouth as Mr. O'Connor set down the bucket and returned inside. When the door slammed, I knew it was safe again. Removing my hand from Liana's mouth, I got a sudden idea.

I crawled faster, making Liana whisper urgently after me, "Where are you going?!"

I hissed at her, "Don't move. I'll be right back."

My mission is to get the bucket of gasoline without being seen. I practically felt the matchbox in my back pocket. It's time to burn these monsters to the ground. Once my knees hit the pavement, I winced. No pain, no gain. I definitely do not want to die. Feeling the suspense and pressure begin to rise, I hastily grabbed the bucket and threw my body into the bushes before I saw seen.

Liana cheered, "Go Arnold!"

I ignored her chants as I quickly snatched the matchbox from my back pocket. All I need to do is dump the gasoline around the house. The O'Connors will be trapped inside and eventually burn to death. I motioned Liana to go hide behind the trees, which was a quite distance away.

I exhaled a deep breath as the painful anxiety started to get the better of me. Be a man Arnold...be a man. Prove that you can protect your sister and your family. I took one last glance at my sister who was peeking out from behind the willow trees. On the count of three....one...two....THREE.

I jumped up from my crouched position and started to dash around the O'Connor house, splashing gasoline everywhere I could. I was surprised that they didn't realize what I was up to sooner. Soon the gasoline bucket grew empty. Now to watch this baby burn. I swiftly took a match from the small package and lighten it.

I whispered before dropping the match onto the wet gasoline, "Burn in hell demons.."

Flames erupted everywhere, pretty soon they were surrounding the house, making their way in. Five seconds later, Liana and I both heard the murderous screams of the creatures inside.

Liana buried her head into my sweatshirt sleeve, unable to watch. However, my eyes were glued to the dancing flames before us. The heroic flames. In most cases, fire was a gift from hell. But in this situation...I think God made an acception.

I heard Mr. O'Connor scream loudly inside the burning house, "BLASTED!!!!!!!!"

The O'Connor house started to collapse. First the roof caved in, then the second story crashed into the first. People who were driving nearby, crashed into some trees and trash cans, amazed by the sight.

Slowly, one by one, people appeared out of thin air. One man exclaimed, "The McCarthy house! It's up in flames!"

"I knew it was cursed!"

"Will they put another house there?"

I tried my best to block out the questions and ridiculous behavior. Liana clutched onto my hand, finally be able to watch the fire. Loud sirens filled the air, the local police department and fire house came onto the scene.

Firemen hopped out of the red truck, yelling orders at each other. Two firemen, came around the corner with a huge water hose.

One of them shouted, "Clear the way!"

The other opened turned the handle and fresh cold water burst out. It landed on the fire with such force that most of the fire was gone by the next few seconds. Smoke scattered about, probably getting the whole town's attention. Police officers rolled yellow tape around the burnt out scene.

"Alright, alright! Nothing to see here! Go on home!"

Liana and I didn't move. One of the officers noticed and gestured us away, "Hey, kids! Didn't you hear? Get on out!"

I ignored his demand, "Is there anyone alive?"

The police officer stared at me strangely before looking about, "No son. Just a pile of burnt skin and broken bones!"

Liana sighed in relief and pulled on my hand, "Let's go home Arnold!"

I smiled and nodded, "Yes, let's go home."

When we arrived home, Mom flustered us with questions, "Did you have fun? Was the inside of their house nice? When will they be having us for dinner?"

Mom and Dad obviously not have seen the fire outside. Liana was about to say something however, I interrupted her, "We had loads of fun. Their house isn't as nice as ours and unfortunately the O'Connors won't be having us for dinner for quite a long time."

Mother huffed, "Oh well then...go get ready for dinner. Move on...move on."

Liana laughed and pushed me out of the way. If a race she wants, a race she shall get. Before I started running, I swore I heard Mom mutter as she picked up her People's magazine, "They were just some European snobs anyway.."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Ed, did you hear about the McCarthy house burnin' down?"

Ed ran his chubby fingers across his bald head, "Yeh, Tom. Maybe you were right. Some kind of curse was on that damned house."

Tom laughed and drank the last drop of his beer, "Yes..--hey waiter! More beers on me!"

A man with slicked black hair and slender hands looked up from the glasses he was cleaning. A long thin scar ran across his pale cheek. He smiled, his teeth a brilliant white.

"Certainly boys." The man stated, his eyes flashing yellow.

END

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed it! It took me a few hours to write! I hope this makes up for me not updating any of my stories this weekend xD Sorry again!


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